I would start by saying I have no doubt Putin is legitimately fighting the NWO, and if I'm wrong about that we're all completely forked anyway. That being said, I would rather address the issue from a meta perspective which I find more interesting.

After I reached the conclusion I just mentioned, I looked back and carefully examined the positions of the conspiracy theorists who took the opposite view. I found their reasoning thin and their evidence nearly non-existent. Most evidence was ignored. Also, you'll see that one of their presuppositions is that Putin controls absolutely everything that takes place in Russia. Another is that if he was "legit" he would simultaneously fight all battles on all fronts. I find these preposterous.

So I was left with the question: how did these conspiracists really come to this conclusion?

My current thinking is that it's insecurity. You see, as difficult as it is to be a conspiracy theorist these days, it brings a certain sense of security knowing that you could prove yourself superior to your average normie on some variety of topics. You're not scared that you could be made to look ignorant and foolish.

But there's another level beyond that, which is decreasing your insecurity not just with showing yourself to be right, but with showing others to be wrong. So I believe this certain group of people then doubled-down, and locked on to the idea that even other conspiracists were wrong on this. I think the earnest Flat Earthers got caught up in this dynamic also.

I hope this comment isn't met by something like, "If you don't know Putin's one of Them, YoU'rE dUm!" Yes, it would demonstrate my point but it's still depressing.